History of the Super Bowl Logo

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Looking back at the historic collection of Super Bowl logos takes me down memory lane. However, the Super Bowl logos have recently become more unified and less expressive. Below I will take a look at how and why the logos have changed.

There’s something exciting about the old ways of annually revealing a new and colorful logo with color, passion, and spirit. Each logo was unique and made specifically for that year’s Super Bowl, connecting the logo to the era and location of the game. For example, Super Bowl XXVII was played at the Rose Bowl in 1992 and Super Bowl XXVIII was played in the Georgia Dome in 1994. Super Bowl XXX was played in 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona, which is why the logo has a South Western feel.

The NFL made the switch to a more standardized logo in 2011 in effort to give the Super Bowl a stronger brand and visual identity. The simple monochromatic mark has become familiar, recognizable, and varies few in between each year. A quote from their website explains:

“Historically, the National Football League (NFL) commissioned a new logo for the Super Bowl every year; the design’s theme was inspired by the host city. But starting with Super Bowl XLV in 2011, the logo no longer changed from year to year…A sports event of this stature needed a consistent, iconic identity — a symbol that fans could immediately recognize, much like the Olympic rings. The Vince Lombardi trophy, bestowed on league champions each year, was the ideal inspiration for a lasting symbol. Working with the NFL’s in-house designers, we created a logo befitting the trophy’s prominence.”

The thought process and strategy behind changing the Super Bowl logo from being released annually and maintaining a visual identity makes sense from a marketing standpoint and I can’t argue with a powerful marketing strategy. However, the designer in me wants to see more classic Super Bowl logos with more color, passion, and memories, and meaning behind each mark.